WATCH: Master Kiradech Aphibarnrat’s ‘Thai Spinner’ chip shot

Kiradech Aphibarnrat is a cult hero.

The man from Thailand has won four times on the DP World Tour, but it’s not always his prowess on the golf course that gets him in the headlines.

The 34-year-old has a passion for designer trainers, expensive watches and even outlandish supercars.

However, it’s easy to forget that the Barn Rat is also something of a magician when it comes to pulling off shots.

Aphibarnrat likes to play the “Thai Spinner,” a shot which he says he is most confident playing when the grass is grainy, as it often is in his home country.

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At the Alfred Dunhill Links in St Andrews, where there’s no grain, it might not be required. But, if you’re confident playing it, then why not show it off?

“Growing up in Thailand, it’s so grainy around the greens,” Aphibarnrat explained to bunkered. “We just want to make sure we get the right strike, pick the ball off the grass correctly, hit the green, skip and then spin. That’s the way most of the Thai players are playing this shot.”

So how do you play the Thai Spinner? Well, it’s not for the faint hearted, but with a little practice, it can be done, as he demonstrates. Aphibarnrat takes his most lofted wedge, aims a long way left of his target and plays a chip most of us would blade over the back of the green.

“First of all, you have to move the ball just outside your foot and then lean the shaft forward and then open the face,” he explains. “It’s almost the same scenario with tennis, when you’ve got a backhand slice. You’ve got to open the face and slice and it’s going to spin.

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“You put the ball way back, put the hands ahead and when you come down, make sure you get steep and make sure you get on top of the ball to cut it down.

“Move the ball to the right, as you see, hands forward, lean the shaft ahead, feel like you leave the club straight and then you chop down. You don’t want to lean that way (forward) you just want to lean the shaft down and left.”

Is the Thai Spinner a shot you want to rely on when the pressure is on? Possibly not. Is it a shot that’s going to impress everyone you play with? Absolutely.

Watch Kiradech Aphibarnrat demonstrate the Thai Spinner

I asked the legendary Kiradech Aphibarnrat to teach me how to play the 'Thai Spinner.' Of course, he delivered. pic.twitter.com/gEMkbcmCmM

— Lewis Fraser (@lewisfras98) October 5, 2023

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor